YSC Laboratory Technician

An exciting opportunity to be involved in the delivery of workshops for children and young people, to ignite their passion for scientific discovery

Location: 21 Albemarle Street, London - with some homeworking expected 

Contract Type: Permanent, full-time, 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday with some weekend working

Salary: £26,063 per annum increasing to £26,845 pa on passing probation

About the LYSC

The L'Oréal Young Scientist Centre (LYSC) is an imaginative laboratory space for young people and their teachers to experiment and explore science and technology outside the classroom.

In the LYSC workshops, students become a scientist for the day, testing their own ideas by designing creative experiments. The whole experience ignites a passion for scientific discovery and encourages curiosity-driven learning. The students can make explosive bath bombs, extract their own DNA, investigate forensic science, explore the chemistry of colour and much more.

Following a quieter period for the LYSC over the past two years, we are building our programme back to pre-pandemic levels and now need to expand the team.

About the role and you

You will initially focus on providing technical assistance to the LYSC team, with the opportunity to get involved in presenting and content development. There is also the chance to contribute to the Ri’s wider science communication programmes, including the family, schools and public programmes as well as the Christmas Lectures.

What will you be doing?

  • Help deliver inspiring and interactive workshops to children and young people to inspire attendees and engage them in a lifelong journey with science.
  • The timely set-up and takedown of all the equipment needed for the experiments in the YSC. Prepare chemical solutions and biological reagents for workshops as required.
  • Maintain the cleanliness of the YSC lab and check laboratory equipment and workshop consumables.
  • Assist with the implementation of Ri health and safety procedures and risk assessments
  • Collaborate with other Ri teams to help deliver science content for live, virtual, and recorded events

What are we looking for?

  • Enthusiasm for science education and enriching the experimental experience of young people
  • Good practical laboratory skills
  • Experience in working with children and young people
  • Proactive with the ability to learn quickly and work on own initiative

Experience in delivering engaging scientific education or learning, of working in a lab technician role and health and safety knowledge would be an advantage.

How to apply

Please download the job description and person specification and or recruitment monitoring form and email:

  • Your CV
  • A supporting statement of no more than 500 words explaining why you want the role and how your skills and experience meet the criteria in the person spec
  • And a completed recruitment monitoring form

To recruitment@ri.ac.uk no later than 10am on Monday 21 February 2022.

Interviews are likely to take place on Monday 28 February.

Equal opportunities

The Ri is committed to equality of opportunity at all stages of the recruitment process. The information supplied in the recruitment monitoring form will be treated in strict confidence and will only be seen by Human Resources. It will not form part of the selection process.

You may choose not to disclose some or all of the information requested in the form, and this will not affect your application in any way.

YSC Lab Technician downloads

YSC Lab Technician job description Recruitment monitoring form

About the Ri

The purpose of the Royal Institution is to connect as many people as possible with science. We've been doing it for well over 200 years and have an international reach, working with world-leading scientists, from Hannah Fry to Carlo Rovelli.

We talk, and listen, to the public. We help scientists talk, and listen, to the public. We develop critical thinking and a spirit of exploration in young people through our educational work.

Our activities include the world-famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES, talks from leading scientists and thinkers, explosive science shows, engaging school programmes, the Faraday Museum, our archival collections, and our innovative digital engagement activities, including live-streamed talks and our YouTube channel, which has over one million subscribers.

We believe that science is transformative. It shapes our world, and everyone should have a say in how it is used in our lives.

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